Families, Traditions, and a Fragmented World

🕊️ This is Part 5 of my series: Reflections on Change and Faith

Part 4

Families, Traditions, and a Fragmented World

The idea of “family” looks so different today. For many of us, family isn’t what we see in old movies or what we hear in holiday songs. It can feel messy, complicated, or even absent.

I didn’t grow up surrounded by strong family traditions. I didn’t have those big gatherings, or the feeling of deep-rooted togetherness that some people talk about. And as the world changes, I see how much harder it is for people to stay connected, even to the ones they call family.

Families today are more divided, more distant, and often more broken. We’re all busy surviving. We move to different cities, chase careers, and sometimes carry wounds we don’t know how to heal.

Traditions, the small and big things that used to bring people together have slowly faded. We don’t sit at the table together like we used to. We don’t pause to just be present with each other. Technology has replaced face-to-face time, and busyness has replaced shared moments.

I think about how God designed us to live in community, to carry each other’s burdens, and to celebrate life together. But our world pushes us toward individualism, self-protection, and isolation.

Even if we didn’t grow up with close family bonds or traditions, we still long for that kind of connection. A place to belong, a place to feel safe and known.

Sometimes, I find myself grieving the loss of something I never really had. But I also believe that God can create new families for us: chosen families, friendships that feel like home, communities of faith that hold us up.

We might not have the traditions of the past, but we can create new ways to gather, love, and show up for each other. It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s version of “family.” It can be quiet, simple, and still beautiful.

I pray that God continues to teach me what real family and community look like. And that He heals the broken places in us that still long for connection.

💬 Questions for reflection:

What does “family” mean to you today? Are there ways you can build or nurture meaningful connection right now? What would a new tradition look like for you, even if it’s small?

🌼 Scripture suggestions

God sets the lonely in families.” — Psalm 68:6 “

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2 “

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” — Proverbs 17: